LETTERS: COMMUNISM, SOCIALISM STILL ALIVE

To the editor:

There is much confusion in our country today as to what communism, socialism and liberalism mean. I think this confusion is deliberately stated by those who would change our republic to a socialist state. As far as I can determine, the only difference between communism and socialism is that in a communist state the government owns all the property and the people are only serfs working for the state and those who are in control. In a socialist state, people are allowed to own property with the doubtful privilege of paying taxes on it for the ones in control to waste or buy votes with. But the catch is that the ones in control of the government also control the property. So if the property owner doesn't have control of his property, there is no benefit of ownership. For all practical purposes, the owner may as well be denied ownership.

Those who tell us that communism is dead are outright liars. They are aiding and abetting Nikita Krushchev, who made the statement that the communists would lull the Americans to sleep and then bury them. Telling us that communism is dead is helping him to fulfill his promise to lull us to sleep. The only thing left for them to do is bury us.

We have intact in this country both a Community and Socialist party. They seldom get on a ballot, but they don't need to in order to wield great power. As well as being political parties, communism and socialism are beliefs. Those who have these beliefs outnumber actual members by hundreds of thousands and are just as great a threat to our country. Liberals are actually socialists in disguise as far as their beliefs are concerned. They both believe in absolute control over the lives and property of all the people by the ones who are in power.

Many of our conservatives are only part-time conservatives, and that part consists of the pre-election campaigns. As soon as the elections are over, they revert to their true colors. You cannot tell one from the other by listening to what they say. The only sure way to tell you has socialistic beliefs is to closely watch voting records in Congress. When the vote is for more government control over our lives and property, this is in accord with the true socialists, whether or not the person voting belongs to the Socialist Party.

RAY UMBDENSTOCK

Cape Girardeau